What vitamin deficiency causes nail ridges?

Nail ridges might mean a vitamin B12 deficiency

Ridges in your nails can also be warning signs of a vitamin B12 problem. Diet, age, and medications are all common culprits behind a B12 deficiency.

What vitamin helps with nail ridges?

Summary Adequate magnesium intake is crucial to prevent vertical ridges in your nails. This mineral also helps with protein synthesis and the formation of new nails.

What am I lacking if my fingernails have ridges?

Can vitamin or mineral deficiencies cause ridges in nails? Certain nutritional deficiencies can cause changes to your nails. Zinc deficiency can cause Beau's lines and white spots on your nails. Iron deficiency can cause vertical nail ridges and koilonychia (spoon nails).

How do I get rid of ridges on my fingernails?

What does zinc deficiency look like in nails?

One of the most common nutrient deficiencies to show up in nails is a zinc deficiency. More prevalent in school-age children, this deficiency can present as scattered white spots. Usually, people can take a zinc supplement for a short amount of time to clear up these white marks.

Your Nails Help Diagnose Nutrient Deficiencies

What do iron deficiency nails look like?

Spoon nails (koilonychia) are soft nails that look scooped out. The depression usually is large enough to hold a drop of liquid. Often, spoon nails are a sign of iron deficiency anemia or a liver condition known as hemochromatosis, in which your body absorbs too much iron from the food you eat.

Do thyroid problems cause nail ridges?

Thyroid dysfunction can also affect your nails, causing abnormality in nail shape, nail color, or attachment to the nail bed. Pay attention if you experience ongoing hangnails, ridges in your nails, splitting, peeling, or even dry cuticles.

What do your fingernails look like with thyroid problems?

Curved nails with swollen fingertip

A swollen fingertip, curved nail, and thickening skin above a nail are often signs of thyroid disease.

Does lack of protein cause nail ridges?

Nutritional deficiencies, such as a lack of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin B12 or keratin can result in fingernail ridges. Hormonal changes can also cause ridges to appear.

What causes ridges in fingernails and splitting?

What causes ridges in nails? Ridges in nails usually come from aging but can also indicate improper nail care, nail trauma, vitamin deficiency, or even a more pressing medical condition, according to 2022 research.

Does B12 help with nail ridges?

Nail ridges might mean a vitamin B12 deficiency

Ridges in your nails can also be warning signs of a vitamin B12 problem. Diet, age, and medications are all common culprits behind a B12 deficiency.

Will fingernail ridges go away?

Share on Pinterest Damage to the nails through injury can cause ridges to develop. This is usually temporary, and will heal with time. Many people with psoriasis experience problems with their fingernail and nail bed.

What is the best vitamin to take for finger nails?

Biotin and other B-complex vitamins are essential for healthy nails. Vitamin C and iron are also essential for nail growth. You can get all of these nutrients from a healthy diet or take a daily multivitamin supplement.

Should I be worried about ridges on my nails?

Vertical nail ridges are fairly common and nothing to worry about. Vertical nail ridges extend from the cuticle to the tip of the nail. With age, vertical nail ridges may become more numerous or prominent because of changes in cell turnover within the nail.

What does calcium deficiency nails look like?

When your body lacks calcium, your nails become thinner, weaker, and brittle. You may notice that they break easily and just don't look as healthy as they used to. Although nails and bones are made up of different substances, they're similar enough that poor nail health may be an early marker of bone density problems.

Can zinc deficiency cause nail ridges?

Beau's lines are grooves that run horizontally across the fingernails. They develop when there is a disruption to the area where nail growth starts. Zinc deficiency is not the only cause of Beau's lines, but it is a common one.

What part of the body itches with thyroid problems?

Thyroid hormones also influence the quality of your skin in a variety of ways. With hyperthyroidism, you may notice itchy and dry patches of skin. Your face may feel softer and swollen. You may even notice swelling around your fingertips.

What are the signs that your thyroid isn't working?

But those with symptoms can experience a puffy face, sluggishness, weight gain, feeling cold, a slowed heart rate, constipation, depression, and thinning hair. Not everyone has the same symptoms, so make sure to talk with your health care provider if you think you have hypothyroidism.

What diseases can your nails tell you?

Changes in Nail Shape

Ripples on nails or pitted nails may be caused by a skin disorder, psoriasis, eczema, or arthritis. Nail clubbing is when a nail curves under at the tip of the finger. It could indicate heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, lung disease, liver disease, thyroid disease, or HIV/AIDS.

Can anxiety cause nail ridges?

Effects of Stress on Nails

This rubbing causes a distortion of the nail plate, and when the nail grows, a raised ridge forms in the middle of the nail. In addition, physical or emotional stress, certain diseases, and chemotherapy can cause white horizontal lines to appear across the nails.

Why don't I have half moons on my nails?

Small or missing lunulae usually aren't cause for concern. They're usually just hidden underneath the cuticle or skin at the base of your finger. In some cases, missing lunulae may be a result of trauma or a sign of: anemia.

What do your hands look like if you have hypothyroidism?

Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism can show up in the hands and nails. Hypothyroidism can cause dermatologic findings such as nail infection, vertical white ridges on the nails, nail splitting, brittle nails, slow nail growth, and nails lifting up.

What do malnutrition nails look like?

White nails can be the result of anemia and pink or red nails may suggest malnutrition with several nutrient and vitamin deficiencies. Additionally, biotin deficiency can increase the risk of fungal nail infections and subsequent nail plate discoloration.

What do you crave when you have anemia?

Craving and chewing ice (pagophagia) is often associated with iron deficiency, with or without anemia, although the reason is unclear. At least one study indicates that ice chewing might increase alertness in people with iron deficiency anemia.

What are COVID nails?

What Do COVID Nails Look Like? Beau's lines are grooves that run horizontally across your nail plate, per an August 2021 paper published in the journal Skin Appendage Disorders. COVID nails/Beau's lines can look like ridges, grooves, or indentations, according to Dr. Day.